The present invention relates to steam cooking devices, and more particularly, to an internal flue baffle/heat exchanger for use in such cooking devices.
The advantages of steaming certain foods rather than cooking these foods by other methods have become well recognized in recent years. For example, when meats are cooked under dry conditions, as when baked, the meat looses its intrinsic moisture and may become dried out and unpalatable. Further, vegetables contain certain valuable minerals which are retained if the vegetables are steamed rather than cooked by other means, such as boiling.
Current steam cooking devices utilize steam generated in a boiler to cook or thaw food. This steam is transported from the boiler to a cooking chamber where it is introduced into the cooking chamber by a conduit or the like extending from the boiler to an opening in the wall of the cooking chamber. The boiler, or steam generator, has included therein, a heat exchanger for conveying the heat from a flue gas region of the heat exchanger to the water just outside of the flue gas region, which causes the water to turn to steam. As heating efficiency within the heat exchanger increases, several beneficial results occur with the performance of the cooking device. For example, less gas may be used for creating the flame which heats the water. The steam may be generated at a faster rate when the efficiency of the heat exchanger is increased. The life of the heat exchanger may also be increased as the operating efficiency of the heat exchanger is improved. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved heat exchanger for use in the operation of a steam generator of a steam cooking device. The present invention has been designed to fulfill this need.
The present invention provides a steam cooking device comprising a steam generating chamber having a steam generator including a heat exchanger, a cooking chamber adjacent to the steam generating chamber for receiving steam from the steam generator, the cooking chamber including top and bottom walls, a rear wall and opposite side walls and means in one or more of the walls for introducing steam into the cooking chamber.
The present invention provides a heat exchanger within the steam generator portion of the cooking device. The heat exchanger of the present invention includes metal panels having raised surface projections thereon which create turbulence in flue gas flow through the passageways of the heat exchanger, which assists in heat distribution throughout the steam generator portion of the cooking device. The raised surface projections also serve as spacers so that the heat exchanger panels will not be able to close up during operation due to a bowing effect that sometimes results from the cold water in the steam generator chamber and the heat from the flue gases.
Other principle features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following Detailed Description, claims, and drawings.